Wounded veterans cycle through Florida Keys for annual Soldier Ride

KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) — Nearly 15 years after his first Soldier Ride, Bill Hansen joined dozens of other wounded veterans on Friday as they cycled along the Overseas Highway, including the Seven Mile Bridge, for the annual Florida Keys event.

A total of 45 men and women, as well as their supporters, are participating in the cycling event organized by the Wounded Warrior Project.

“I wake up in pain every single day. I’ve gotten used to a level of pain,” Hansen said. “And so doing physical fitness, things like this, I know I’m gonna be in a little bit of pain, but it’s worth it for my mental health and for just my comradery with other vets.”

Hansen, who served more than two decades in the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army National Guard, participated in his first Soldier Ride in Phoenix in 2012. He said he had suffered a serious neck and back injury and become addicted to pain medication before connecting with the Wounded Warrior Project. Hansen was able to make friends with other injured veterans and form a support system that remains in place.

“One of my bucket list events is to ride a bike over the Seven Mile Bridge,” Hansen said. “I mean, what an iconic thing to do, and it’s part of America, part of our heritage. And so this is gonna be fun for me, because I get to do this. Plus, I’m gonna be able to help other vets.”

The ride through the Keys started Friday and runs through the weekend. While some riders are missing one or more limbs after combat injuries, the veterans are using bicycles fitted with special adaptive equipment. Other injuries, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, are not so visible.

“The path to healing always starts with movement,” Wounded Warrior Project CEO Walter Piatt said. “This is about getting them outside, getting them reconnected with people they serve with, and people are going through the same thing they are.”

The group started their day with a 17-mile (27-kilometer) ride from a Key Largo VFW post to the Theater of the Sea in Islamorada. Following lunch at the Marathon fire station, riders traveled another 10 miles (16 miles), including over the Seven Mile Bridge, and stopped for the day in Big Pine Key.

A large crowd of Coral Shores High School students cheered on the warriors during a break in Tavernier, but smaller groups of residents lined the route as riders made their way through the island chain.

“I want them to see that we appreciate what they do,” Keys resident Carol Dieck said.

The Wounded Warrior Project's cross-country and Keys bicycle trips provide inspiration and rehabilitative opportunities for injured soldiers, while raising money for others recovering in American military hospitals. The funds generated help foster veterans’ independence, develop peer-mentoring programs and arrange transport between home and hospital when needed.

The Florida Keys Soldier Ride continues Saturday through Key West, with an additional community ride where the public can cycle with the warriors. And finally they will spend Sunday morning swimming with dolphins at the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon.

U.S. Army veteran Sabrina Bradley, left, takes a group photo at the Veterans Memorial Park after riding in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Little Duck Key, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

U.S. Navy veteran Jerry Padgett, right, is wheeled into the ocean at the Veterans Memorial Park after riding in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Little Duck Key, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Wounded veterans ride over the Seven Mile Bridge in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Marathon, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

People line the street as wounded veterans ride in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Marathon, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Wounded veterans ride in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Marathon, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

U. S. Force veteran Spencer Charron rides in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Marathon, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Wounded Warriors Project CEO Walt Piatt, left, signs an American flag for students outside of the Coral Shores High School as wounded veterans ride in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Islamorada, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

U.S. Army and Marine veteran William Hansen high-five students as wounded veterans ride in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Islamorada, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Students from an elementary school hold signs in support as wounded veterans ride past in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Islamorada, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Students from the Coral Shores High School wave as wounded veterans ride past in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Islamorada, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Wounded veterans ride past a crowd gathered at Coral Shores High School in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Islamorada, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

U.S. Marine Corps veteran Matthew Hannon adjusts his helmet before riding in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Key Largo, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Wounded veterans prepare to start their ride in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Key Largo, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Authorities in New Mexico issued an arrest warrant Friday for director and Emmy Award-winning actor Timothy Busfield to face a child sex abuse charge.

An investigator with the Albuquerque Police Department filed a criminal complaint in support of the charge, which says a child reported that Busfield touched him inappropriately. The acts allegedly occurred on the set of “The Cleaning Lady,” a TV series Busfield directed and acted in.

The child said the first incident happened when he was 7 years old and Busfield touched him three or four times. Busfield allegedly touched him five or six times on another occasion when he was 8.

The child's mother reported to Child Protective Services that the abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, the complaint said.

Busfield's attorney and agent did not immediately respond to email messages seeking comment late Friday.

The arrest warrant, which was signed by a judge, said the charge is for two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor.

According to the complaint, the child, which it identifies only by his initials, has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. A social worker documented him saying he has had nightmares about Busfield touching him and woken up scared.

The child was reportedly afraid to tell anyone because Busfield was the director and he feared he would get mad at him.

The investigation began in November 2024, when the investigator responded to a call from a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital. The child’s parents had gone there at the recommendation of a law firm, the complaint said.

“The Cleaning Lady” aired for four seasons on Fox, ending in 2025. It starred Elodie Yung as a Cambodian doctor who comes to the United States to get medical treatment for her son, witnesses a mob killing and ends up becoming a cleaner for organized crime.

The show was produced by Warner Bros., which according to the complaint conducted its own investigation into the abuse allegations but was unable to corroborate them.

Busfield is known for appearances in “The West Wing,” “Field of Dreams” and “Thirtysomething,” the latter of which won him an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series in 1991.

He is married to actor Melissa Gilbert; there was no immediate response to an email sent to her publicist.

FILE - Actor Timothy Busfield smiles before an NFL football game in Detroit, Sept. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)